I Want My Mom!
by wildnfree21
Summary: Sherry begins to feel the pang of lonliness without her parents there to guide her. It's my first fic in a while and I'm a bit rusty. Please r/r!
1. Default Chapter

Chapter One  
  
  
Sherry Birkin stared out the window of her bedroom. A light breeze entered and   
ruffled her soft white curtains as she gazed down into the garden that a frustrated Claire   
Redfield was tending. Every now and then she would find a weed, pull it out, mutter   
something under her breath and then continue to work. It was just the beginning of   
Spring Break and it was still pretty cool during the days for Sherry. Leaning against her   
wall, she let out a small sigh. After break, it would soon be Mother's Day, and her school   
was having a picnic for daughters and their mothers. Or daughters and their fathers if   
they didn't have a mom.  
'What if you don't have either of them?' Sherry thought wistfully as she twisted   
the hem of her white T shirt. Bitterly, she thought back to the night she lost her parents,   
at least three years ago. All because of Umbrella and their sick experiments. Ever since   
Raccoon City, Sherry had felt a huge emptiness inside her that had never filled up. She   
hadn't had the strength to tell anyone about how she was feeling. Wouldn't have been   
able to get it out anyway. Her feelings were all twisted, jumbled, and tangled up inside,   
she felt that she would never be able to sort them out.   
So she went on with her life, acting as if everything were fine on the outside. She   
had adjusted well into her new school, did well in her studies, and never once did she   
mention her parents. She didn't want anyone to know that she was secretly hurting. The   
hurt came and went, when she was with people she could push the pain away for a few   
hours. But later, when she was by herself it would come back again.   
"Sherry!" she heard Claire call from outside.   
Taking a deep breath, she called back with a steady voice, "Yeah?"  
"You want to help me with this garden?" she asked. "I would've asked earlier, but I was   
ashamed for anyone to see how crappy I made it."  
"Sure!" she called back. She hopped off the little built in window sofa (she really didn't   
know what it's real name was), grabbed her jacket and bolted downstairs and out the   
door.  
"What's up?" she asked as she walked over the perfectly mowed grass.  
Claire grinned bashfully as she pointed to a pile of freshly pulled weeds. "Um..."  
Sherry smiled and took a look at the flowers Claire had planted in the beginning of the   
spring season. Aside from a few weeds poking out, it look okay.  
"Don't worry." She told Claire. "It can be saved."  
"Oh great!" she bent down on her knees and motioned for Sherry to sit near her. "Help   
me pull out the rest of these weeds, will you?"   
Sherry nodded then knelt down and started pulling. After a few moments of silence, a   
sudden uneasiness swept over her, she squirmed around to get more comfortable, but that   
didn't help either. Something inside her brain told her to stop pulling weeds before she   
noticed something. She didn't know what that something was, but she would soon find   
out.   
After rooting around she stopped and admired the bright purple of the lilacs.   
They were so beautiful and royal looking, with a smell that had to have come straight   
from heaven down to earth. She smiled fondly until something dawned on her. Lilacs.   
Those were the ones she and her mother used to grow. Way before Annette Birkin   
became a workaholic, they had had a little garden. They grew all kinds of flowers in it,   
but mostly lilacs. Her mother loved them.   
They would work in their garden for hours on end, Annette telling the five-year-  
old Sherry that the environment was something that needed to be cherished. A great   
coldness swept over Sherry's body, paralyzing her and she became tense.   
"Sherry?" she heard Claire's voice. "Is something wrong?"  
Sherry looked over to her. There was Claire, not her mother, sitting just like her mother   
used to sit and tending the same flowers they used to tend together. Sherry began feeling   
a bit guilty. It seemed so disloyal to work on something that was so special to her and her   
mom with someone else.  
"I'm not... I'm not feeling very well..." she lied. "Can I go inside now?"   
Claire nodded, a worried frown creased her forehead, "Will you be okay?"  
"I'll be fine." Sherry said. "It's just a head ache. I'll be fine once I lie down."  
Without another word, she got up and ran inside the house. She bolted up the stairs and   
retreated to the safety of her room. As if heartache had been waiting for her, she felt   
heavy with gloom and she buried her head in her pillow.   
She wanted to cry, she wanted to cry for her parents so badly. To show that she   
still had some feeling for them. To show she hadn't forgotten them, that she never would.   
But the tears wouldn't come. Every time she closed her eyes, trying to remember her   
mom and dad, it was always Claire. Or Leon. Or Chris. But never her parents. Never   
Annette or William Birkin. It was as if her mind were telling her that she was officially a   
Redfield or a Kennedy.   
Punching the pillow in frustration, she tried hard to remember her parents. But   
the more she tried, the more the memories faded. The pain had always been   
overwhelming, but never this much. From outside, she heard a car pull up, then Leon and   
Chris' voices getting out. She sat silently, hoping, praying that they wouldn't call her   
down. And they didn't until and hour later.  
"Sherry!" Chris shouted up the stairs. "Time to eat!"  
Without answering, she slid under the sheets and buried herself in them. She must have   
drifted to sleep because the next thing she knew, there was a knock on the door, and then   
the slow creak of it opening.  
"Morning Sher," Claire replied as she peeked in. "Can I come in?"  
Struggling to become fully awake, she saw the sun shining brightly outside. She had a   
slight headache and it was as if she had a dead fish in her stomach. Or as if she was a   
dead fish.  
"You didn't come down to eat last night." Claire observed, a look of concern   
sweeping over her gray eyes.  
"I was tired, I fell asleep." She said.  
"Yeah," Claire replied. "I figured that was the case."  
Claire sat on the edge of Sherry's bed and traced the intricate designs of the little red rose   
buds on the comforter. "I've noticed you haven't been very happy lately."  
"Oh... really?" Sherry asked, mainly for lack of anything else to say.  
Claire nodded. "And so Chris, Leon and I wanted to do something special for you this   
break."  
Sherry waited.   
"Our parents had a cabin near a lake up north." Claire told her. "You remember, the one   
we went to after R---" Claire cut herself short. "when we met? Well, we want to take   
you there."  
Sherry shrugged her shoulders, "That would be fun, I guess."  
Claire smiled, relieved that she'd accepted. "Great. Because we leave in a few hours.   
Get packed."   
Sherry had to smile. Claire seemed so enthusiastic about the cabin. She didn't   
really want to do much this break, but maybe the trip would be good for her.  
At least it would get her away from lilacs.  



	2. Don't Worry

Chapter Two  
  
  
"I spy with my little eye," Chris Redfield said as he gazed out the window as he   
drove. "Something that begins with. um, "T"!"  
"Tree." Sherry answered listlessly. All they had seen for the past few miles were trees.   
They'd been driving on the road since ten o' clock that morning and it was now 5:30p.m.   
After the dumb conversations about the weather, and the reminiscing of great memories   
at the cabin wore off, they'd resorted to playing old car games.  
"I'm bored." Claire announced.  
"Okay," Chris replied. "We can play a new game."  
Without meaning to, everyone groaned.   
Chris chuckled lightly and shook his head, and "Then what do you want to do?"  
After a lot of thought, they went back to playing games.  
  
  
"Okay," Chris replied. "Male or female?"  
"Male." Sherry said. They'd taken a game from the old Goofy movie and tried it out, but   
that lost it's interest after the, oh, second question.  
"Hint." Chris told her.  
Sherry sighed. "Moon."  
Chris looked thoughtful before replying, "Neil Armstrong!"  
"Right." She said as she gazed out the window again.  
"Oooh!" Claire exclaimed as she plastered her face against the window. "There it is!   
There it is! There it is!"  
Sherry caught on to her enthusiasm and leaned forward and got yanked back by   
the seatbelt. Fumbling with the buckle, she unhooked herself and leaned forward. They   
had turned onto a quiet (okay, empty, except for a couple of other cabins) road and were   
now driving toward a tree-lined driveway. A lump formed in Sherry's throat when she   
saw the cabin. A few days before Claire and Leon sent her to stay with her Aunt Kate,   
they'd came here. Umbrella wouldn't have had known that this tranquil little cabin was   
their private sanctuary. Even though this was only the second time she'd been here-and   
after so long too-it still held the same serene, placid safety of three years ago. It was the   
only thing that hadn't changed.   
Once Chris pulled the car to a stop, Sherry stepped out and closed the door.   
Flipping her shoulder-length blonde hair aside, she stretched her tired muscles out. Chris   
let out a yawn, "It's amazing what driving all day in a car can do for one's ass, huh?" he   
asked her. Sherry giggled; Chris was the only one who would ever come that close to   
swearing in front of her.   
She stared at the front of the house. It was sweet looking. A nice log cabin with   
steps leading up to the doorway. And a cute little wooden walkway that wrapped all   
around the house. Surrounding them were huge, massive trees that seemed to go on and   
on forever. Taking a deep gulp of fresh air, she smiled. Maybe things wouldn't be so   
bad after all.   
The trunk popped open and they started unloading their bags. Dragging hers up   
the driveway, she gazed around. Everything was so calming here; it was almost enough   
to make her forget her pain. Almost. Pushing her thoughts away, she tried to put a   
neutral expression on her face.  
"Sherry?" Claire spoke up.  
"Yes?" she replied. Claire cocked her head towards the door. Sherry blushed, she hadn't   
been paying that much attention, Chris and Leon had already gone in and she was   
standing in front of the doorway like an idiot. "Sorry." She muttered.  
"It's okay." Claire replied smiling.   
Sherry stepped in and smiled again. Yes, the inside was still the same. To the right, there   
was still the den. With a fireplace and a small library. The furniture and shelves were   
covered with white sheets to protect it from dust, but she could tell that it hadn't changed   
at all.   
To the left was the staircase. The regal carvings on its rails had made Sherry trace   
them with her finger for hours. The smoothness of it's nicely polished wood had made   
her think of the birdhouse that her father made every spring for the adorable cardinals   
that came to their little part of.  
On second thought. maybe familiarity was overrated. She purposely avoided the   
staircase and hurried to check out the kitchen. Leon was there, plugging the refrigerator   
back in. The light inside came on and her turned to her, giving her a triumphant grin and   
the thumbs up sign, "We have lift off."   
"Never mind lift off," Chris replied as he walked in. "Do we still have running water?"  
He reached for the faucet and a strong, steady flow erupted from its spout. "Yup. We're   
not going to dehydrate after all."   
"Thanks to Auntie Faye." Claire mumbled as she passed by.   
Chris grimaced, "Give it a rest Claire."  
Claire snorted a laugh, "Chris, the woman would walk through fire for you." She set   
down her bag and crossed her arms. "The minute she heard that we-or rather you-  
wanted to use the cabin, she up and called the water and power company."  
As the Redfield's quarreled over family favoritism, Sherry stared out of the   
window. She noticed a path that led into the thick trees toward the back of the house.   
She'd find out where it led to tomorrow. Walking back toward the living room, she   
pulled off one of the sheets. A cloud of dust arose and she let out a sneeze. The dust was   
making her eyes watery. Maybe that was why she didn't notice the box until she was   
practically sitting on top of it.  
She jumped back up with a start. It was a fairly large box and Sherry picked it up.   
It was taped closed so Sherry couldn't figure out what it was just yet.  
"Hey, Claire," she called.  
"Yeah?" Claire replied as she appeared in the doorway. Her shadow looming over   
Sherry as if protecting her just like in the days after Raccoon. "What's up?"  
"What's this box for?" she asked, trying to lift it up.  
Claire walked over and frowned, "I don't know. Let me see."   
Sherry handed the box to her and Claire hoisted it onto her thigh, balancing on   
one leg. She tried unsuccessfully to undo the tape, and she sighed.   
"Hmm. why don't we open this later, I'll put it in the attic for now. I have absolutely no   
idea what it is. We'll find out later. We have a lot of stuff to pack."  
"Okay." Sherry replied. She would've liked to know what it was now, but it was okay.   
She was actually looking forward to sleep.   
Nothing seemed to hurt here quite that much. It took her mind off of a lot of things.   
Maybe that was the problem. Maybe she thought about her parents too much. That was   
probably why she was always hurting. If she always had something to do to keep her   
mind off of the pain, she wouldn't hurt as much. It all made perfect sense to here now   
that they were away.   
For the first time in a long time, she went to sleep without a worry at all. As long   
as she didn't think about her problems, they would all go away. Seeing the cabin made   
her realize that now. Yes, everything would be just fine.   



	3. New Friends

Chapter Three  
  
  
Sherry awoke to the sound of the chirping outside her window. Lying in bed for a few minutes, she yawned and smelled something cooking down in the kitchen. After a few minutes the delightful smell of sausages sizzling in a pan turned into a smoky, choking stench.   
"Oh SHIT!" she heard Chris yell. A few clanging on pots and dishes and then a crash. Oh boy, Chris had begun to think that he could cook again. Hoping out of bed, she rushed down the stairs and saw him a spatula in one hand, a paper towel in the other. He was trying to salvage the food and pick up the scattered dishes at the same time.  
After a few seconds of fumbling with the plates, he glanced up and saw Sherry in the doorway. He froze for a fraction of a second before replying, "If you help me with this stuff, you can laugh all you want."  
"Okay." Sherry agreed. She bent down to pick up the fallen dishes while Chris scraped out the charred remains of the sausage and what appeared to be bacon.  
After she had placed all the dishes back where they belonged, she practically collapsed with laughter. Clinging to the sink to support herself, she stifled her giggles down and bit her bottom lip. Chris was standing by the stove, his arms crossed, and a hurt expression on his face. Finally he asked, "Are you quite done here?"  
"Yes." Sherry replied, wiping away a tear. She'd been laughing so hard that she'd begun crying.  
Chris sighed as he gazed forlornly at the stove, "Well, obviously we don't have much of a breakfast here. Wanna come with me to get McDonalds?"  
Sherry shrugged, "I guess."  
"Go change then." Chris replied. "Unless you want to go out wearing those frilly little pajamas."  
Sherry gazed down and blushed; she was wearing her light blue flannel pajamas with yellow moons and smiley face stars.  
  
  
Sherry turned the page of the novel she was reading for school. She had to finish it by the end of break, but she always got distracted around here. It wasn't the unpleasant kind of distraction, it was just so pretty here she had to look around at it every other minute and admire it's beauty. 'Sometimes distractions could be a good thing...' she thought.   
She leaned back in the hammock that Claire had set up for her. She'd finally learned where that trail in the woods led. The trail went on for about half a mile, surrounded by trees and flowers, before ending at a small lake. That was when Claire had put the hammock up and relaxed. About five minutes ago, Claire had gone back to the cabin for a book that she was reading. She would be right back.  
Getting up, Sherry walked around the lake's edge and peered out over it. If you looked up and over the trees, you could see a big mountain that still had snow on the very top. Sherry had been staring at the mountain for a quite a bit when she heard a rustling in the bushes behind her. Speaking of distractions...   
Sherry turned and walked toward the rustling, probably a rabbit. She was about to pull away the long grass, when something jumped out and flew at her. For reasons unknown, her mind thought back to Raccoon, when she found out all too late that there was a zombie lurking around that corner after all. She let out a scream as she and something-or someone fell to the ground.  
"Get off of me!" she screamed as she tried to get away.  
"Hey, hold up! I'm sorry!" a voice-a boy's-said.   
Sherry stopped flailing long enough to look at him. He had short, curly brown hair and the softest brown eyes she'd ever seen. Maybe with just the slightest hint of green in them. Probably about her age.   
She also noticed that he seemed to be... well, kind of on top of her...  
"Um," she paused. "do you mind?"   
"Huh? Oh, yeah." He got off and grinned sheepishly as he helped her up. "Sorry about that, it was stupid really. You see my-"  
Before he could reply, a few other kids emerged from the brush. A girl, who seemed unusually tough looking, brushed her long, stringy red hair out of her eyes.  
"Fair's fair, Toby," she said. "What's my dare?"  
"She," the boy-Toby? -Said pointing a finger at the girl. "Dared me to do that."  
Sherry nodded, as if she understood all of this, but her mind was really asking, 'But why?'   
As if reading Sherry's thoughts, the girl replied, "It's a game we play when we're bored. What's your name kid?"  
"Sherry." She replied. "And I'm not a kid."  
"Oh, well sorry." The girl said with an amused coolness. "Well, I'm Angelene, and I'm no kid either."   
Sherry glanced at the rest of the group. Aside from Toby and Angelene, there were two more boys (both with black hair and blue eyes) and another girl (with brown hair).   
"Here's the rest of my gang," Angelene said, again, as if reading Sherry's mind. "That's Damien, Derek and Trini." Angelene turned back to Sherry, her eyebrows raised. "You're not from around here are you?"  
Sherry shook her head, "No, I'm afraid I'm not."  
"Oh," Angelene said with sort of a dangerous curiosity. "We could show you around, if you'd like."  
"Well, you see," Sherry began. "I'm kind of waiting for my friend--"  
"Your friend wouldn't mind would she?" Angelene asked. "Maybe we could give you a few dares."  
"Well, I don't know..."   
"What? Are you scared?" Angelene asked.  
Sherry tensed up. Who did this Angelene think she was? If she had known what Sherry had been through, she wouldn't dare ask that question. But the point was she didn't, so Sherry would have to prove it.  
"No, I'm not." Sherry replied, flipping her hair defiantly. "Where to?"  
  
  
Sherry carefully walked over the train tracks. It was a few hours later, and after "proving" herself, the group had winded down and just began walking down this train track that had been around since ever since. At two o' clock, everyday, a train would pass by. Now, they had reverted to an ancient game called, 'Chicken'. First one off the train tracks loses.   
Sherry gazed at her watch, 1:59p.m. Claire would be worried. She'd been gone for over an hour and she hadn't given notice.   
Choo! Choo! A loud train whistle came from somewhere in front of her. From around the side of the hill, a black train appeared, with even blacker smoke trailing behind it. Sherry continued walking. Until it was about fifty feet away... and then forty....  
"Sherry!" Trini called. "Get off! You won!"  
Looking behind her, she saw it was true. Everyone had gotten off, she was about to get off, when her foot slipped and she fell to the ground. When she tried to get up, she realized her foot was caught under the wooden planks of the tracks. The train was getting closer. Thirty-five... thirty feet...   
Sherry grabbed her ankle and tried to yank her foot out, but she couldn't get it out past a few centimeters. Twenty feet away... That train sure seemed huge now. Quickly unhooking her sandals, she wrenched her foot free and tumbled backwards, away from the track. As she flipped into a backward somersault, she saw the train go past, her heart began pumping so heard it felt as if it were in her ears. If she hadn't moved fast...  
She was just recovering from shock when she felt a slap on the back.  
"God, Sherry, you're it!" she heard one of the boys say.   
Angelene appeared in front of her, her face a bit pale, but grinning, " Not even I've been able to stay on that long. You can hang with us anytime."  
Despite her earlier dilemma-which now seemed far away-Sherry grinned, "That was nothing."  
Angelene gave her a pat on the back, "You've got guts Sher,"  
  
  
Sherry may have had guts at two o' clock, but she sure didn't have it at three. She entered the cabin and met up with a very worried Claire Redfield.  
"Sherry!" Claire exclaimed as she rushed over to hug her. "Oh, I was so worried about you! What happened?"  
"Nothing." Sherry replied.  
Claire gave her another look, probably to check for scratches and such, then another hug. Finally her relief turned into bristled anger, "Where in the world were you? You know what I thought when I didn't find you at the lake? I thought you had been kidnapped. Or worse!"  
"I'm fine Claire," Sherry replied. "I just met up with some kids my age, it's no big deal."  
Claire could have done worse, but she just sighed, "Well, next time, just tell me when you're going somewhere, okay?"  
"Sure. Whatever." Sherry replied. She'd quickly picked up on Angelene's most used word. Apparently this wasn't Sherry's most used word because Claire stared at her for a moment.  
"You're okay thought?" she asked.  
"Yes." Sherry thought. "I'm fine."   
"Okay." Claire replied. "Oh! Look what I got in town today. I'm going to plant them when I get home."   
Claire gestured to a potted plant on the coffee table. Sherry froze when she saw them. Lilacs. And poor Claire had no clue when Sherry had turned wordlessly and walked up the stairs.  
'Just ignore them.' Sherry thought. 'Think of everything else that's happened today."  
  



	4. Memories

Chapter Four  
  
Note: This chapter is a bit longer than the others, but please take time to read it, it's definitely worth it. If I do say so myself.  
  
  
"And my mom totally flipped when she found out that I meant that I wanted a   
nose ring. She thought I just wanted another hole in my ear." Angelene exclaimed as she   
thumped Sherry on the back. Everyone laughed as they walked down the hall of the local   
shopping mall. It was a few days after they had all met, and they had spent all of those   
days hanging out.  
"That is so tacky." Trini told her. "Besides, you've already got enough holes all over   
you. What's next? Your tongue?"  
"Maybe." Angelene replied. "Maybe."  
Sherry grimaced. Okay, so the idea of piercing her body parts wasn't that   
appealing to her, but hey, live and let live.   
"You should get your ears pierced Sherry." Angelene said suddenly.  
Huh? Sherry's head snapped around, confused. As if she had just said something in a   
language she couldn't understand.  
"Me?" she asked, her voice more steady than she felt.   
"Yes." Angelene replied, examining Sherry's earlobes.  
"You should be lucky you can." Trini replied. "My earlobes are so skimpy I can't   
even think about earrings."  
"Yeah," Damien butted in. "Earrings would drag those lobes down so low, they'd be like   
an elephant."  
Derek and Toby chuckled loudly at that-drawing attention to themselves by other   
patrons-and the three girls rolled their eyes in annoyance.  
"You really should get your ears pierced." Angelene repeated.   
Sherry squirmed uneasily, "I really don't feel like it."  
Angelene shrugged, "No big deal. I just thought you'd like to give yourself a little more   
personality."  
Translation: Angelene thought that Sherry's shorts and t-shirt style was boring.  
"Oh, let's go in this store!" Angelene said. She went from one topic to the next like a bee   
in a garden.   
Sherry didn't let the thought of a garden bother her this time. She just nodded   
then quickly went in without a word. It wasn't after she looked around very closely, she   
realized that they were in a bookstore. Not exactly their usual shopping place.   
"Hey Sherry," Trini called to her from a shelf. "Come check out this book."  
Okay, so Trini liked books. That made sense. She was the quieter of the group. Sherry   
walked over and smiled.  
"What's up?" she asked.   
Trini held up a thick paperback.   
"Anne of Green Gables." Sherry replied. "I've read that before, it's okay."  
"Really?" she asked.   
Sherry nodded, then picked up another book and read the back. She was nearly done   
when she heard Trini's purse close with a soft click.   
She turned back to Trini, who was standing with her hands on her hips, as if she   
had been waiting for Sherry to finish for hours.  
"Are you finished?" Trini asked brightly.  
Sherry nodded, "Were you going to buy that?"  
"Buy what?" asked Trini.  
"The book that you were-" Sherry stopped and stared at the shelf. The copy of the book   
Trini had been looking at was gone.   
Sherry shook her head, "Nevermind. Yeah, I'm done."  
Trini nodded, "Let's get the others." She started off and Sherry followed her, stunned.  
Did Trini take the book... had she shoplifted? Sherry pondered this until they were   
walking through the mall again. No. she decided. She had better judgment than that   
when picking friends.   
"Oh Sherry!" Angelene exclaimed as she saw something in one of the nearby   
stores. "Isn't this just adorable?" she pulled Sherry into the store and gestured towards a   
shiny black chain mail halter top.   
Sherry laughed, "It is, but I don't think it's your type." She gestured to Angelene's   
grunge look.  
Angelene regarded her with a laugh of her own. "Oh, I don't mean for me. I mean for   
you."   
"Me?" Sherry choked out. "In that?"   
She was sure her eyes were bugging out of their sockets as she stared at the top.   
Angelene nodded her smile growing, " You'd be a knock out in it."  
Sherry shook her head, "It's... um... nice... But, um, where on earth would I wear it?   
My school has a uniform."  
Angelene's smile widened so much Sherry thought her cheeks would split, "You could   
wear it tonight."  
"What?" Sherry asked suspiciously. "What's happening tonight?" Nobody had   
mentioned any plans for that night. (And Claire would probably never let her leave the   
house wearing that halter)   
Angelene toned her smile down a bit, "Oh, just to the movies."   
But Sherry had a strong feeling that wasn't what Angelene had in mind at all.   
"Thanks." Sherry replied. "But this top is not my style."  
"It would look great on you." A third voice interrupted. Sherry turned around to see   
Toby smiling at her.   
Sherry's knees went weak, something about Toby always made her weak. She   
was about to change her mind about the top when her senses returned. "It's not my   
style." She repeated.   
Toby shrugged, "Whatever."  
  
  
"So you sure you don't want to come tonight?" Angelene asked as they dropped   
Sherry off at the cabin.   
Sherry shrugged, "I'm not really sure." But her mind was screaming, 'Are you   
kidding?!'  
"Well, if you change your mind, meet us at Kirby's store." Angelene told her. "Is that   
too far?"   
Sherry shook her head, even though it was. And that place could be downright scary at   
nighttime.   
"Meet us there if you change your mind." Angelene told her.   
Sherry nodded, even though she was pretty sure she wasn't going to show up. She waved   
to them until they had disappeared and she entered the house.   
"Hi there." A voice said.  
Sherry jumped, startled. She turned around and saw Claire sitting on the couch, reading   
the paper.   
"Oh, hi Claire."   
Claire gave her a smile, "How was your day?"  
"... Fine." She replied, an ugly vision of Trini taking the book and stealing it went   
through her mind. It felt so horrible to be hiding her suspicions from Claire.  
"Did you have fun today?" she asked. She seemed to want to talk.  
Sherry nodded, "It was okay, I guess."   
"Sherry." Claire said in a weird, unfamiliar tone. "About your new friends... Are you...   
do you think that maybe you're spending too much time with them?"   
Sherry shook her head. Claire sighed, "Well, I don't like waking up and seeing   
that your not in bed. What time did you leave with them today?"  
"7:30..." Sherry replied avoiding Claire's gaze.  
  
Sherry picked gingerly around all the boxes in the attic. It was time to figure out   
just what was in that box. Finally, she found the box that was taped up. Bending down,   
she slashed at the tape with the small knife. She opened it and inhaled a bunch of dust   
bunnies. She sniffled then sneezed, her eyes began to water. Peeking into the box   
she sneezed again.   
She reached inside it and felt something soft. Pulling it out she was struck with a   
weird premonition. No Sherry. She thought. Don't take it! She pulled it out. It was a   
white shirt. Her white shirt. From her school girl outfit. From Raccoon. She suddenly   
remembered when they had first came to the cabin. She'd given her clothes to Claire,   
saying to get rid of them. They had held too many memories for her. Besides, it was   
hard to get the blood stains out.   
Reaching deeper, she found her blue shorts. She stared down at it's soft fabric, tears filling her   
eyes as she remembered. She and her friends always used to hang out at school. Always. Gathered around an old tree on campus, talking about what pains their teachers were.   
Then one day, they all just started disappearing, until no one sat under that old tree with her. She had never seen them again. And after everything that happened, she found out why. Her mother   
told her that it was going to be alright. That she didn't need to worry. She was good at   
making friends. She would make more. Her mother always knew just what to say. Her   
mother... taught her about everything.  
She felt something inside the pocket, stiff and flimsy. Pulling it out, she  
gasped. This time, the tears fell like rain. It was a picture. Of her mom and dad. On   
their wedding day. Once again, she remembered. That night, before her mom dropped   
her off at the police station, something had told her to take the picture. To keep it. All of   
a sudden, Sherry remembered her mother and father. Vibrantly. She remembered every single detail   
about them, clear as crystal. She was filling in all the blanks that were missing. Smiling, she   
remembered the long talks they would always have.   
It was as if a window in time had opened up and allowed her to travel back. To   
remember the good times. To live again. To be happy again. To be with her parents-  
especially her mom-again.  
But after awhile, the memories wore off. She crashed back to earth. Back to the   
attic, back to the clothes, back to the pain. And she felt 100 times worse than she had   
before.   
"Mommy..." she murmured sadly. A fresh new batch of tears formed and she cried   
silently. Tucking her legs beneath her, she covered her face with her hands, her throat was   
hurting from her suppressed sobs.   
She hadn't cried ever since Raccoon. Now she was making up for lost time. She began crying for every single thing that had happened to her since her parent's death.   
Tears streamed down her cheeks and her strangled cries filled the tiny attic. Sherry had never felt so alone in her entire life. About an   
hour later, she went to her room. Suddenly angry.   
She had told Claire to throw the outfit away. She told her that she didn't want it   
anymore. That she didn't want to see it again. How could Claire not listen to her. How   
could the best listener in the world not listen? She gritted her teeth, feeling betrayed.   
How dare she? How dare she let Sherry find those horrible memories like that!   
From downstairs, she heard voices. She wiped her eyes and went down.  
"I'm sorry, but Sherry can't come out right now." Claire told someone. Sherry paused.  
"Well, okay. No biggie. See ya later." Angelene's voice replied. The door closed and   
Sherry saw Angelene and the rest leave.  
"Who was that?" Sherry asked accusingly.  
Claire turned around, a mixture of shock and guilt on her face.  
"That was for me wasn't it?" Sherry demanded. She felt her face turn red with anger.  
"It's too late for a little girl like you to be going out." Claire defended. "And I don't like   
it that your hanging out with them so much."  
'Little.' Sherry thought. 'Little girl. I'm not anyone's little girl. Not anymore anyway.'   
Sherry fumed, "Who do you think you are?"  
Claire stepped back, "Excuse me?"  
"You don't have any right to send people away-especially when they're looking for   
me!"   
"Sherry, I just have a bad feeling about them."  
"I don't care!" Sherry shouted. "I hate you! I hate you and everybody else! Who are   
you to talk about them anyway? You don't even know them!"  
"Well, neither do you!" Claire said, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm just trying to do   
what's best for you!"  
She was hurt. 'Who cares?' Sherry thought bitterly. 'Let her. Let her feel sad. Just like   
you were feeling.'   
"Sherry." Claire replied in a stern voice. "I'm in charge of you, and I don't want you   
going out at this hour. And I don't want you hanging out with them."  
Sherry glared at her angrily before stomping up the stairs.   
She made up her mind. She was going to meet up with Angelene and the others.  



	5. There's your trouble

Chapter Five  
  
  
  
God, it was freezing. Sherry wrapped her jacket around her more tightly, trying to block out   
the chilling night air. Absently, she wondered if this was how the Von Trapp family felt as they tried   
to flee their town before the Nazi's caught them.  
Yes, she had snuck out. After she had stomped up to her room, Sherry had paced angrily   
around her room for several minutes. After careful debating, she locked the door and changed into a   
black skirt and a tank top. After that, she had sunk onto her bed, building herself up. Did she actually   
have the courage to pull this off?  
Finally, she grabbed her windbreaker and opened her window. There was a big tree outside,   
it's branches stretched up to her window, and she climbed onto it. Climbing carefully, she hoped that   
she wouldn't fall. She didn't. She crept around the living room window, where Claire was talking to   
Chris and Leon by the fireplace. Claire's face was pale and wary, her face was stained with tears. For   
a brief moment, Sherry considered turning back. But then she remembered her uniform, and how   
betrayed she had felt, and ran down the street.  
Kirby's was about a mile away from the cabin, and could be a killer walk at nighttime. Sherry   
shivered and hugged herself even tighter. Just then, a car zoomed by, and an ugly yahoo with bad teeth   
and a creepy voice shouted something obscene at her. The kind of thing that only drunk guys yell when   
they're at a strip club. Ignoring him, Sherry broke into a run and reached Kirby's in record time.  
Breathing heavily, she scanned the place for the others. It was a bit foggy and she didn't see   
them until she was only a few yards away.  
"Hey, it's Sherry!" one of the boys called.  
"Sherry, glad you could make it." Angelene said as she walked up to her.   
"I told you I'd think about it." Sherry replied, trying to sound cool and withdrawn. But her knees were   
shaking and she wished with all her heart that she'd worn jeans. "So, where are we headed tonight?"   
she asked.  
Angelene grinned mischievously, just like she'd done earlier. "I guess you know we're not   
really going to the movies."  
"Yeah, I kind of did." Sherry said, feeling uneasy.  
"We're here to make you one of us." Angelene said.   
Sherry froze. What on earth did she mean by that? Sensing Sherry's confusion, Angelene gave a light   
chuckle.  
"Don't worry Sherry," she told her. "We aren't some weird-o cult or anything like that?"  
Sherry sighed, but not completely with relief.  
"Cigarettes, anyone?" Trini asked, pulling them out of her purse.   
Angelene grinned, "You ever try one of these Sherry?" She asked as she took one up and gestured to it   
as if it were some kind of precious stone.  
Sherry gulped and shook her head.  
Angelene grinned again, "Here. Let's go sit down." Sherry took the cigarette and followed   
everyone to a nearby bench. It felt about 20 times colder here than anywhere else. Sherry stared   
blankly at the cigarette in her hand.  
"Here, let me light that for you." Toby said, pulling a small yellow lighter out of his cargo pants   
pocket. He already had a lit cigarette in his hand and he began lighting Sherry's.  
"Thanks." Sherry mumbled, barely getting the words out. She watched as Toby took a long   
drag from his. He didn't look so great now.   
Sherry hesitated, resisting the urge to twirl her blonde hair in between her fingers, until Angelene   
spoke up.  
"You okay Sherry?" she asked.  
Sherry nodded, "I'm fine."  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked. "Go ahead. It's not going to kill you."  
Sherry closed her eyes briefly before bringing the cigarette to her mouth. She inhaled and   
immediately began coughing. The cigarette fell from her hand and she pressed her other over her   
chest. She was having trouble breathing as she coughed loudly. After a few more raucous coughs,   
Sherry composed herself and looked up at everybody else. They were looking at her as if she had just   
sprouted another leg or something.  
"You shouldn't inhale like that when it's your first time." Damien spoke up, as if this had been   
common knowledge to her.   
"Must have slipped my mind." She mumbled, feeling foolish. Gazing at her watch, she realized that   
only fifteen minutes had passed since she arrived.  
"Oh well, enough of this child's play." Angelene announced, she nodded to Toby who gestured to the   
other guys, and they went into the store.   
"What's going on?" Sherry asked.  
"You need to have a drink tonight. On us." Trini said. She and Angelene exchanged grins.   
Sherry felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Smoking was one thing, but drinking under age was just   
plain dumb. For the first time in three years, she didn't feel like an adult. She felt like a child. A very   
foolish, stupid confused child.  
"A drink?" she asked.  
"Yup." Angelene said. "You want to be one of us don't you?"  
Sherry sighed helplessly. What on earth had she gotten herself into? She waited silently, listening to   
Angelene and Trini speak. Occasionally they would include her in their conversation, but she would   
only respond with a vague 'yes' or 'no'.  
After what seemed like an eternity, Toby and the boys appeared with a six pack bottle of beer.   
Sherry's stomach sank as they handed one to her. Once again, she gave the bottle the same blank stare   
she had the cigarette.  
"Bottoms up Sherry." Angelene said, popping the top off of her bottle. The others followed suit and   
were soon drinking away. Sherry fumbled clumsily with hers until Derek helped her.  
"You've never had a drink before, huh?" Derek said, the slightest hint of sadism in his voice.  
"Well, it's not like it's my fault." She shot at him in irritation.   
Derek took a step back, lifting his arms in silent surrender. Suddenly, Angelene caught sight of   
something on the wall.   
"Hey guys, check this out!" she gestured to a flier. "There's a battle of the bands in a club in the next   
town. Let's go!"  
The others agreed without a moments pause, Sherry froze again. Whoa whoa whoa. Okay. Now,   
weren't most clubs like, for, adults. God, she had just turned fifteen.   
"You up for it Sherry?" Angelene asked.  
Something inside Sherry snapped. Maybe she was suddenly struck with severe absurdity of   
what she was doing. Back in Raccoon, she would never in a million lifetimes, she would never think   
of doing something this stupid. Sneaking out of her window at night to travel through the streets of a   
new town and drinking and smoking with a bunch of questionable kids that she had know all of four   
days. That was definitely not what her mom had taught her.  
Her mom. What would Annette Birkin have said if she saw her cherished baby doing   
something like this? She would have been disappointed. More than that. She would have been   
furious. From the day Sherry was born, Annette Birkin had told her every single difference between   
right and wrong. Had taught her all about morals and values and staying away from strangers and peer   
pressure. "I'm only trying to do what's best for you." Her mom would say. Thinking back a few   
hours, wasn't that what Claire had said? After Raccoon, Claire had taken Sherry under her wing to   
care for her. She didn't have to. She could have left her at her Aunt Kate's, but she didn't. She had   
taken care of Sherry the same way a… a mother would take care of a daughter. Along with a little girl,   
Claire also took in the new responsibilities of parenthood in.  
Now she was throwing it all away in half an hour. She was letting her mother down. She was   
letting Claire down. If that was disloyal, Sherry didn't know what was. But she had to get out of this   
and fast. Before she did something that she would really regret.  
"Are you in or what Sherry?" Angelene asked.  
"I'm not going." She said.  
Angelene paused. "Um, come again?"  
"I'm not going with you guys." Sherry repeated, enunciating every word as if she were talking to a   
very small child. "I'm tired of this."  
"Tired of what?" Angelene asked.  
"Being dragged around by a bunch of fakes who hide they're insecurities behind stupid stunts like   
drinking and smoking."  
"Hey," Angelene said, her voice cold and hard. "What gives with this? We bring you into our group   
and you repay us like this? God, some friend you are."  
"If you just became my friend because you want me to pay you back for something, then I'm not the   
one who's messed up—You are!"  
"Well, if that's the way you feel about it you little bitch, fine then. We'll just go without you."  
"That's fine with me," Sherry replied, shaking the beer bottle that was still in her hand. "For God's   
sake, I'm only fifteen!"  
"You're damn right you are." A new voice interrupted. This time, everyone froze. That voice was   
way too familiar for comfort. Slowly, Sherry turned around. Claire was standing there, her hands on   
her hips, glaring in a huff at Sherry. Beside her, Leon was standing, looking equally disgruntled, but   
also another look—pity?—in his eyes.  
"Sherry Birkin." Claire's voice was low and deathly quiet voice. "Get in the car now."  
Sherry gulped, in the corner of her eye, she saw the beer bottle she held crash to the ground. Claire   
paid no attention to it or the other kids, she pointed towards the car and sighed. "Go."  
Sherry went. As she walked away, she heard Leon say, "Shouldn't you kids be home at this hour?"  
Claire passed Sherry even before she was halfway to the car. "Hurry up." She called. "We're   
parked illegally." Sherry looked passed her and saw that the car was parked right next to a fire   
hydrant. Sherry climbed into the car and the two waited for Leon. Finally, he climbed into the   
backseat. Claire started up the engine and began driving.  
"Sherry, I want to know exactly what you were doing there tonight and what possessed you to   
leave the cabin—especially after I told you that you couldn't." Claire said.   
Sherry hesitated. She had never seen Claire this angry before. Never. Before Sherry could reply,   
Claire barged on, "Do you think I enjoy coming into you room and seeing the window open? Seeing   
that you're not there?"  
"No…" Sherry replied.  
Claire drove for a few seconds, finally, "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING OF   
SHERRY?!" her voice was so loud that Sherry wanted to cover her ears but didn't. "Don't you know   
that drinking under age is against the law?!?"   
Tears filled Sherry's eyes again. "I…I…"  
"I was so worried about you!" Claire continued. "You don't know what went through my mind when I   
saw you gone. I was so scared…" suddenly, her voice cracked. When Sherry dared to look over at   
her, she saw that she was crying. Her soft gray eyes were overflowing with tears.  
"I'm sorry." Sherry replied.  
"Claire," Leon spoke up. "Do you want me to drive or something?"  
"NO, I'll be fine." She snapped.   
Sherry felt awful. It could have been worse. It could have been very much worse. Claire   
looked about ready to kill her, the only thing holding her back was probably Leon.  
"Sherry," Claire said, her voice steady. "What you did tonight was nothing short of idiotic. When I tell   
you not to do something. You don't do it, do you understand."  
Sherry nodded, she sniffled, trying to hold back a sob.   
Claire took a deep breath, "And I'm sorry about this, it's your vacation and all, but until we leave next   
week, you're not going anywhere. You're grounded."   
Nodding, Sherry stared out the window.  
"I'm not finished yet Sherry." Claire said. "I'd also like to ask you for a request."  
Sherry turned her head around.  
"I'd like to ask you, that you never let yourself consider spending another milli-second of your life   
with those kids—or anyone else like them." Once again, her voice cracked. "Do you understand?"  
Sherry nodded again. She understood. And she wouldn't. It hurt her deep inside see how much she   
had upset Claire and everyone else that cared about her.   
  



End file.
